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Operation Overstrike was a combined British and Maquis military operation that focused on the liberation of Western Europe during the Chimeran War. The operation was launched on August 30 and ended with the destruction of the Paris Chimeran tower on September 6, 1951.

Prelude[]

With the destruction of the Chimera's central tower in London and with their armies throughout Britain eradicated following the Battle of London, humanity was made aware that the Chimeran tower network was a vulnerability in the seemingly invincible Chimeran forces. With both their power generation and command and control reliant on the Tower network, an opportunity was now seen to exploit this new weakness beyond the British Isles before the Chimera could amend this handicap. The Maquis, an European mainland resistance movement, approached the British for a joint-planned operation to repeat the same feat by destroying the Chimera's hub tower in Paris, France and thereby eradicate the Chimera from the bulk of Western Europe. However, the Maquis had mixed motivations. The operation was not only mounted to destroy the Paris central tower, but also to test an experimental serum created by Dr. Claude Bouchard that would eradicate the Chimera's Carrier strain, which were tasked in transporting Chimeran virus-infected humans to conversion centers, and thus disable the Chimera's conversion process at the same time.

Similar to Operation Deliverance, British military forces would be inserted into the European continent to assist the Maquis in destroying the Paris tower and cause the meltdown of the tower network across Western Europe. The British Intelligence Corps dispatched two squadrons of British forces to aid the Maquis.[1] The First Squadron under the command of Major Stephen Cartwright would fly first into Rotterdam, one of the few open aerial corridors which bypassed the Chimera's coastal fortifications, followed four hours later by the Second Squadron under Colonel Rachel Parker.[1] Accompanied by the Maquis, the British would then cross Chimeran lines into Luxembourg where the Maquis stronghold was located, and from there prepare their attack on the Paris tower.

Rotterdam[]

In the early phase of the operation, the Maquis made a major intelligence error regarding the Chimera's coastal defenses. Since the beginning of the occupation of Europe, the Chimera had constructed massive fortifications on the coastlines of Western Europe, making it almost impossible to penetrate in force. The Chimera had expanded this network of defences just prior to the operation, hastily erecting three gun towers in Rotterdam undetected. The Maquis's Intel scouts in the city had tried to warn the British about the gun towers via radio, but their broadcasts never reached England due to Chimeran jamming of the frequencies.[2] Major Cartwright's First Squadron therefore suffered heavy casualties from the gun towers when the operation began.[1]

Despite the losses, human forces were able to disable the new defences, allowing Parker's Second Squadron to safely arrive. With the beachhead established, British forces were able to bring in supplies and reinforcements to form a makeshift command center located outside Rotterdam. Allied leaders then hastily drew up plans and assignments; Cartwright led a task force to intercept Chimeran Earth Movers in Gerolstein that were heading for Luxembourg while Parker took the remainder of the Second Squadron to Luxembourg to finalize plans for the assault on the Paris tower.[3]

During this time, British mercenary James Grayson, Colonel Roland Mallery, and Lieutenant Raine Bouchard investigated a new type of conversion facility in Bonn, Germany. The group were separated, with Bouchard captured by the Chimera and falling into the initial stages of the conversion process before she could be rescued by Grayson. Believing her to be yet uninfected, Grayson freed her and destroyed the facility.[3]

Luxembourg[]

On September 2, Major Cartwright faced complications in stopping the Chimeran Earth Movers in Gerolstein. James Grayson aided Cartwright in immobilizing the Earth Movers, but their victory was overshadowed by an all-out Chimeran assault on the Maquis Fortress after the Chimera became aware of the Maquis presence in Luxembourg.[4]

The Chimera surrounded the Maquis headquarters, as their war machines and drones cut off the humans' escape routes, and forced the British and Maquis to use their last VTOLs to evacuate the refugees to the Maquis' last remaining safe zone in Reims. Dr. Claude Bouchard, along with his daughter Raine, were still occupied in developing their anti-Carrier serum. It was revealed that Raine had deliberately allowed herself to being infected in Bonn to allow her father to gain a sample of the Chimeran virus. British and Maquis soldiers defended the fortress long enough to evacuate the refugees and bought enough time for Dr. Bouchard to complete the serum. However, he was killed by the Chimera. All surviving human personnel and refugees fled to Reims.[5]

Paris[]

Following the evacuation to Reims, plans for the assault on the Paris tower were laid. Cartwright would lead the combined human forces against the Paris defenses while infiltrating forces utilised the Paris catacombs to enter the Chrysalis Lair, a conversion facility, where Dr. Bouchard's serum could be spread into the facility's systems, contaminating the Chimeran conversion process and bringing it to a halt for good.

Raine Bouchard volunteered for the infiltration due to her experience and knowledge of deploying the serum, despite clear signs of falling to the Chimera's influence. James Grayson, having by then discovered Bouchard's infection, attempted to warn the Maquis and the British about Bouchard, only to be refuted by Mallery and imprisoned for treason.[6]

Fortunately, Grayson was freed by Cartwright and Rachel Parker, and was given a second sample of the serum to take to the Chrysalis Lair. The operation to draw the Chimeras attention suffered predictably heavy casualties.[7] En route to the conversion centre Grayson encountered Mallery, who had also become infected with the Chimeran virus and who purposefully preventing Grayson from reaching the facility. Grayson was forced to kill Mallery before continuing into the Chrysalis Lair, where he succeeded in deploying the serum just as Cartwright's forces destroyed the Paris tower. Just after Grayson deployed the serum, Raine Bouchard, now fully converted and calling itself "the Chrysalis" attacked him, forcing him to kill what remained of his former friend.[8]

Aftermath[]

Operation Overstrike resulted in a major victory for humanity. Just as happened after the fall of the London tower, the destruction of the tower in Paris led to the meltdown of the tower network in Western Europe, causing all Chimeran forces stationed there to become disorganized, confused, and eventually dying out en masse. Poland, Spain, the Balkans, and Russia were still occupied by the Chimera so, after Overstrike, these countries became the main battlefields in Northern, Eastern and Southern Europe.[8]

The Carrier strains were eradicated by Dr. Claude Bouchard's serum, as the Carriers spread the contaminated fluid from the Chrysalis Lair to facilities all over France and Germany, bringing the Chimera's conversion process to a halt.[8] However, the serum was only a temporary measure. The Chimera were able to overcome their setback by evolving and creating new strains among their ranks. Among them that succeeded the Carriers was the Spinner strain. Furthermore, the Chimera finished the construction of a vast fleet of airships with their targets and destinations unknown at the time. On September 9, the British and Maquis built a memorial for those who died in the war in Europe. Grayson was promoted to Major and joined the Maquis.[8]

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Resistance: Retribution, campaign level The Guns of Rotterdam
  2. ^ Radio-Free Rotterdam
  3. ^ a b Resistance: Retribution, campaign level Filling the Void
  4. ^ Resistance: Retribution, campaign level Scars Run Deep
  5. ^ Resistance: Retribution, campaign level Lost and Broken
  6. ^ Resistance: Retribution, campaign level Where Nightmares Live
  7. ^ In Retribution Lost, throughout the catacombs in Paris and the Chrysalis Lair, the player can occasionally hear orders from Cartwright towards his troops. He mentions that this diversion will not last forever due to heavy casualties, and hopes that Grayson has already made it through Paris.
  8. ^ a b c d Resistance: Retribution, campaign level Retribution Lost
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